Underneath
by reluctant-reporter
Summary: Two days had passed before anyone noticed that Julia Carr was missing. Takes place right after season 2 episode 1.
1. Chapter 1

Just finished watching the first episode of the second season of Haven and wanted to celebrate by writing something. Since I've wanted to write a Julia/Duke story for awhile, I thought I'd give it a shot. I have another idea for a longer story but we'll see how this one goes before I make any promises. This story is to explain Julia's absence during the plagues and takes place afterwards. Thanks for reading and reviews are very much appreciated!

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><p>Two days had passed before anyone noticed that Julia Carr was missing.<p>

At first there were plenty of ways to explain her absence, especially since her car was not sitting in front of the house she had inherited after Eleanor died. The garage only held Eleanor's car, which Julia had been planning on selling once she got the chance, and an empty space where her vehicle went when she actually parked it there.

Audrey, Nathan and Duke theorized that Julia had simply gone inland to get supplies and decided to stay the night. It was no secret that Haven wasn't exactly Julia's idea of paradise and no one would have blamed her for taking a few days off to get away from the craziness for a short time.

"But wouldn't she have told one of us?" Audrey had asked, quickly poking holes in their theory. "She didn't even leave a note on the door. What if someone needed medical attention or what if a body had turned up?"

Audrey was the one who appeared to be the most alarmed by her friend's vanishing act while Duke was surprisingly cavalier. Nathan stayed silent most of the time but his eyebrows became more furrowed and his frown more pronounced as Audrey's mouth got more pinched and her eyes brightened in fear the longer Julia was missing. The Second Audrey bounced around the station and the Grey Gull in full F.B.I agent mode, treating Julia's disappearance like a new case she was determined to solve. Duke just rolled his eyes at the obnoxious woman and made it a point to ignore her. He already had one annoying woman in his life that he was desperately trying to get rid of, he didn't need another. So instead of answering the Second Audrey's questions, he would turn to his and Nathan's Audrey and speak as though she was the one who had asked. He was also the one who came up with the name "the Second Audrey" along with "Audrey Number Two", "Copy-Cat Audrey", "Pseudo Audrey" and "the Mosquito".

By the beginning of day three, even Duke was starting to worry. He knew that something wasn't right with Julia and that the business with the tattoo was a part of that. Frankly, he wouldn't have been surprised if the tattoo could be found somewhere on Julia's body and that she had some hidden agenda that would lead to his death either by her own hand or someone else's. However, the longer she was gone the more his suspicion turned into fear. When someone disappeared in Haven, it usually did not end well.

By the end of day three, full blown panic was starting to settle over the three and when Julia's car was found wrapped around a tree in a wooded area where she had no business being, the lump that had started to form in Duke's throat had sunk to his chest and was now a constant weight that made it hard for him to take a deep breath. To make things even worse, Nathan, Audrey and the Second Audrey found other tire tracks in the mud that suggested that Julia was run off the road by a larger, heavier vehicle and her car practically shoved into the tree. There was also some blood around the driver's side area suggesting that she was injured. The tire tracks belonging to the unknown vehicle led back to Haven but once the rural dirt road turned into an asphalt one as they got closer to town, any clues as to where the vehicle went were gone.

Day four was the worst. They had no leads and no ideas where to even look. Audrey and Nathan were combing the streets looking for anything that might help find Julia and the Second Audrey had a phone permanently attached to her ear as she spoke to Julia's colleages and friends who were a part of Doctor's Without Borders. Duke could only brood and pace the Gull as he went over and over the last time he and Julia spoke in his mind. Evi came in to bug or manipulate him and quickly left once she saw the seriousness of his temper. She also made a mental note to check out this Julia Carr that seemed to get more of a rise out of her estranged husband than she did.

Once Duke was done growling and yelling at Evi, which kind of made him feel a little better, he grabbed his coat and stalked out of his restaurant. There was one place they hadn't looked yet and it seemed so obvious when he thought of it that he wanted to hit himself. Instead, he decided to wait and save the hitting for whoever hurt then took Julia. Even though she had declared herself no longer his friend, Duke was going to find her anyway and either kill or seriously injure whoever was responsible. Someone was definitely going to pay for this. He would make sure of that.

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><p>The bleeding had stopped but her head was still pounding, which was not good. Not good at all.<p>

Julia pried her eyes open and looked around the dark, dank room she had spent the last few days tied up in. How many days, she had no idea. The head injury she received from the car accident made it difficult for her to stay focused and conscious for long and she knew the longer she went without medical attention, the more likely it was that she might not wake up the next time she fell asleep.

Julia slowly shifted into a more comfortable position on the thin, plain mattress she was tied up and lying on. Luckily, her hands were bound in front of her so her arms and wrists weren't in too much pain. Her ankles were also bound making movement very awkward and difficult. A bucket had been left in one of the corners of the room for her to do her business in and pre-packaged food and bottled water was stacked near the mattress so she could easily feed herself. The thought of food made her nauseous, however, so she concentrated on taking small, even breaths to keep herself from vomiting and focused on staying awake.

"You should really eat something," a muffled voice came from the far side of the room next to the heavy wooden door that was always locked tightly shut whenever Julia could gather the energy and drive to get up and check it.

She couldn't stop the small scream that burst out of her throat or the jerk of surprise her body made which caused her head to pound even harder.

"You only hurt yourself by going hungry," the voice continued. "Starving won't help you get out of here any faster, that's for sure."

"I'm not some child pulling a temper tantrum by not eating," Julia said, wincing in pain from the movement made by talking. "I have a head injury and am trying to keep from vomiting. I need to go to a hospital."

"Not possible," the voice seemed to echo around the room but the person attached to it stayed in the shadows, well out of Julia's view. "If you pray to make yourself humble and worthy, God will see fit to take your pain away."

_Oh for the love of…_ "I disagree. God helps those who help themselves. That's why we have doctors and hospitals."

"You're a doctor," the voice announced. "You should be more than capable of helping yourself."

"In a dark room with no medical supplies while I try to take care of my own head injury? Do you think a dentist works on his own teeth or a hairdresser cuts their own hair?"

"Enough," the voice shouted, making Julia cringe and fold her body up in a tight ball. "You will only leave once you are worthy of the mark you've inherited."

Julia was left to ponder those words as the door to her prison slammed shut and silence blanketed the room once again. Her eyes started to droop and her head throbbed in a steady rhythm as she tried to stay present and awake. Her last thoughts before she lost consciousness were that the voice sounded familiar but she couldn't quite place it and she wondered if her body would ever be found or if she would just become another unsolved mystery, one of the many that seemed to fill the streets of Haven.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to those who read and reviewed. I know that Julia/Duke is not a popular pairing so thanks for giving this story a chance, those of you who are following this. Next chapter will probably be the last. Again, reviews are love so gimme some! (Wow, am I needy.)

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><p>The church sat high on the well-manicured lawn. The building almost glowed from a fresh coat of white paint and clusters of bright flowers planted strategically gave the property a warm, well-cared for appearance. From a distance it was an idyllic spot, something you might see on the front of a postcard tourists seemed to collect by the handfuls. Like most things in Haven though, appearances were deceiving.<p>

Duke stood on the sidewalk in front of the steps that led up to the church's entrance. The windows flanking the door were dark and the absence of light concerned him. The last time he was here, speaking to Driscoll, the darkness inside the church was one of the reasons he chose not to enter. That and the fact that the Rev. wanted him inside and accepting the invitation would have given that creepy asshole the upper hand. There was something wrong with Reverend Driscoll and Duke was pretty sure that whatever it was had seeped into the actual building. He really did not want to go in there but something in his gut was screaming at him to go inside. Something was telling him that he needed to act now or it would be too late.

The crowbar in his hand was a reassuring weight and Duke used it to pry open one of the sealed windows located in the back of the church. He'd already tracked down the Rev. who was leading a bible study group at the home of one of his followers. He had watched from his vehicle as people entered the house with covered dishes and figured that he had a least a couple of hours to search the church and Driscoll's house while the man was tied up with his social obligations.

Once inside the church, the hair at the back of Duke's neck stood up and he cautiously made his way through the small building. Even though large stained glass windows lined the sides of the church, the fading light of the day was not able to break into the gloom. Shadows seemed to crouch in between the pews and there was oppressiveness in the air that was almost like a physical weight settling on a person's shoulders. Duke stayed in the center of the church, keeping to the lighter, opened space. He probably should have called Nathan and the Audreys but didn't want to take the chance of them stopping him from breaking and entering. Cops were funny like that.

Forcing his way into the Rev.'s office required a little more skill but the lock was old and soon gave way, opening to Duke. The blinds were closed and the curtains were tightly drawn inside the room so Duke took the chance of turning on the light. The room was sparse with the exception of religious and history books that lined a small set of shelves near a large, heavy desk. The desk was filled with notes over sermons and papers that pertained to the upkeep of the church, bills and etc. It was all terribly mundane until Duke searched spots that he would have used to hide things. A large manila envelope was taped to the underside of the bookshelf and inside there were almost a dozen photos of Julia. The photos were clearly taken without her knowledge and she was outdoors in all of them. There were a few photos of Julia and Audrey talking in front of the bed and breakfast and a couple that featured him with Julia at the docks near his boat. They all made his blood run cold and his teeth clench. Whatever happened to Julia was clearly planned and by the looks of the photos, she had been followed ever since she first came back to Haven.

The anger and suspicion that he had felt towards his childhood friend had completely melted away at this point. Even if Julia had the dreaded tattoo stamped in the middle of her forehead, he would gladly stare at it all day, every day if it meant getting her back alive and in one piece. Besides, he had a feeling that the tattoo could be found inked discreetly on several members of the Haven community and he wouldn't be a bit surprised if they were all connected to the church or Driscoll in some way.

Duke tucked the envelope with the photos back against the underside of the book case and checked the room to make sure everything was just how he had found it. He would be calling Nathan to inform him of the photos once he was done searching the Rev.'s private residence. Quietly, he closed the office door and listened as the lock clicked into place. Turning, he froze as he watched the outline of a person through the stained glass windows as they quickly walked around the outside of the building. When they didn't enter after a few minutes of waiting, Duke crept back towards the window he had climbed through and soundlessly slid back out, warily keeping an eye out. No one was there waiting to grab him or bean him in the head with something. Everything appeared normal and quiet except…was that a cellar door?

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><p>The soothing chill of a damp piece of cloth sweeping across her forehead and left cheek bone made the corners of Julia's mouth twitch up as she was reminded of her mother doing the same when she was ill as a child. One of the few times she could remember having Eleanor's undivided attention.<p>

Did she get sick? Was her mother taking time out of her busy day to care for her?

Groggy and with eyes fluttering open Julia frowned, that couldn't be right. This room was too dark and Eleanor…Eleanor was dead.

"Why struggle so, Child," a raspy voice asked, coming from the side of the mattress she was facing. "If you accept God, accept us, then all this pain and discomfort will be over. Ask his forgiveness. Make the mark permanent and become one with the righteous."

The cloth against her forehead was now becoming uncomfortably warm, as though the man's words had leached out any sense of relief she'd gotten from it. Rationally Julia knew that she must be running a fever and her body heat had warmed the cloth but still, she knew that she was sharing the room with something evil and accepting anything from it would be a huge mistake.

"The thing about righteous people, they're really fucking annoying," a gruff voice across the room broke the silence. "And those who call themselves righteous usually aren't."

That voice she knew. Forcing her eyes all the way open, Julia looked up and saw the tall outline of Duke Crocker standing near the door which was wide open with dim sunlight spilling through.

The dark figure in front of her let out a roar and flew toward the door and Duke, arms raised and ready to strike. Slowly sitting up and groaning as her head swam and her stomach revolted, Julia watched as Duke calmly stepped to the side and kicked out at the tall lean shape that had rushed towards him. The unknown man lost some of his momentum but Duke still went down as the figure tackled him with less force then what was intended. Keeping her eyes on the two men rolling around on the floor using as much force as they had to bash each other with their fists, Julia was able to lift herself off the mattress and onto shaky legs. Sharp yells and curse words were being flung out. One second one man would have the upper hand but then it would soon be lost to the other. Julia watched as the men moved further away from the door as they continued to fight and slowly, with halting steps she tried to make her way towards freedom.

A sudden yell stopped her in a tracks before she was able to reach the entry way and turning, she saw a hooded figure approach and roughly grab her arm then whip her into the wall. Crying out, she felt her left wrist bone snap as her hands came up in front of her and absorbed most of the force as she caught herself before her face hit the hard surface. Somehow she was able to stay on her feet and she backed up then turned to face whatever was coming next. A loud grunt was all she heard and then a bone jarring thud made her wince as the figure crumpled in front of her with Duke still standing, a crowbar she hadn't noticed still fisted in the hand of his raised right arm. He was panting, his flannel covered chest lifting then dropping at a fast rate. Blood was leaking from a cut on his cheek and his left eye was already starting to swell.

"Jesus, are you okay," he finally asked, dropping the crowbar and coming towards her, stepping over the still and silent body near her feet. "You look like shit."

"I feel even worse," she agreed before bending over and dry heaving away from Duke, her stomach twisting and her temples throbbing.

Julia could feel her legs give out and was starting to crumple to the ground but a strong arm quickly wound its way around her middle and a warm body braced itself against her back.

"I've got you," Duke said quietly, his cool, callused fingers smoothing down her snarled dark hair, brushing fingertips against her face. "You're alright now."

Slowly straightening she glanced down at where the body was and froze. Duke's arm tightened around her waist and he wrapped his other arm around the front of her, above her breasts and below her throat, hand cupping her shoulder. He'd noticed it too.

The body was gone. The clothes were still there and were laid out in the exact position the body had fallen but the flesh was gone. Julia's kidnapper had vanished, literally right beneath their noses.


	3. Chapter 3

It was true what they said. Doctors made the worst patients.

After being treated for a head injury, a broken wrist and dehydration, the only thing Julia Carr wanted was a hot shower, comfort food consisting of grilled cheese sandwiches and chicken noodle soup (the homemade kind with the fat noodles and big chunks of chicken), and to stretch out on her bed at home on top of clean sheets while cocooned in a thick comforter. Instead, she was wrapped up in abrasive white sheets and blankets that were just a bit too thin to provide any real warmth, tethered to an IV and was told that she could have some chicken broth and juice later once the dinner cart made its rounds. To say she was not a happy camper would be a gross understatement.

Audrey and Nathan had already come and gone. Duke had been whisked away by another doctor after he'd brought her in a few hours ago to get his injuries looked at and Julia hadn't seen him since. She was willing to bet, though, that he, Audrey and Nathan were at the church trying to find her captor who had disappeared right in front of them. She had a feeling that instead of answers they would only find more questions and in the meantime, she planned to start carrying around the loaded handgun she'd found in her mother's bedside table a couple of weeks ago.

A soft but firm knock broke Julia out of her meditation and she looked up to find a pretty woman who she had never seen before standing at the doorway with a small vase of flowers.

"Hi," the woman said, exuding confidence as she slowly entered the room, "Julia, right?"

"Yes," Julia said with a tentative smile, hand already halfway under the covers where she had hidden a scalpel that she had pillaged while the doctor's back was turned in the emergency room where she had first been taken.

She had no desire to be abducted again anytime soon and was willing to do whatever it took to keep her freedom.

"I'm Evi Crocker. I'm new in town and I heard about what happened. Then I heard that you were injured so I wanted to bring you a little something to cheer you up," the woman said, silky curls bouncing as she nodded towards the flowers that she had placed next to the ones Nathan and Audrey had brought and left on a small bedside table. "Everyone was really worried about you."

"Oh, thank you. Wait, did you say Crocker?" Julia asked, eyebrows shooting up as she watched the woman gracefully sit in a chair next to her bed.

The woman nodded, "Yes, I'm Duke's wife."

The last sentence was said in an almost challenging tone and Julia watched as Evi brought her chin up, the classic pose of a woman about to do battle with another woman over a man. Julia couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing.

It took a minute for Julia to calm down and she held up a hand as she noticed the angry frown on Evi's face. She grimaced at the dark red and blue marks on her wrist and Evi's expression dropped in concern as she too looked at the bruising.

"I'm not laughing at you," Julia said, tucking her hand and wrist back under the covers, "It's just that only Duke, Mr.-I'm-Never-Getting-Married-Ever, would keep a secret like having a wife and expect it to stay under wraps. Especially here."

Evi smiled and rolled her eyes, "He's not much of a strategist, is he. It's always about the here and now. Pretend it doesn't exist and it will go away."

Julia nodded, "I hate to tell you this but most people in Haven are like that. You'll see once you've been here awhile."

Evi's eyes widened in surprise, "You're not going to tell me to leave?"

"No, although I think you might want to consider it before something happens to you. It's not a threat but this is Haven and something always happens. I'm also not going to fight you for Duke or whatever you think I was going to do when you came here to stake your claim on him," Julia said, a knowing look on her face.

Evi opened her mouth in denial but Julia stopped her, "I've known him since I was a kid and I used to follow him around like a sad little puppy with a crush. You're not the first girl or woman to warn me away when he shows me a little too much attention."

"So where does that leave us?" Evi asked sitting back in the hard plastic chair.

Julia shrugged, "Hell if I know. Why don't you tell me about yourself and keep me distracted from the fact that I won't be seeing any real food until tomorrow."

"Got any embarrassing stories about Duke as a kid?" Evi asked, dark eyes sparkling in mischief.

"Quid pro quo," Julia nodded and settled back into bed.

_Man, this day could not get any weirder._

Duke leaned casually against the door frame to Julia's room. While on the outside he was the picture of ease and nonchalance, on the inside he was cringing as he watched his soon-to-be ex-wife laugh with his…um…with Julia. Nope, this was not good.

"Oh, hey Duke. Julia was just telling me about the time you streaked at a football game in high school," Evi said, a sweet smile on her face that still made her look menacing.

Duke glared at Julia for a second but then shrugged, "A bet's a bet."

"Duke Crocker, a man of his word," Evi snorted.

Standing the woman reached out and gently put her hand on Julia's shoulder, "It was nice meeting you, we'll have to get together once you're feeling better."

Smiling Julia nodded, "That would be nice. We'll go out to lunch or something."

Evi nodded then looked intently at Duke before she left the room. He watched her, not sure what she was up to and not liking that she was dragging Julia into it.

"I leave for a couple of hours and you're making nice with my ex-wife?" Duke asked, folding his arms across her chest and frowning at Julia.

"You've been gone longer than a couple of hours and I believe you are still married to her making her your wife. Besides, she showed up here to fight for her man," Julia said, grinning then laughing. "I can't help it if my natural charm won her over. I think she likes me now more than you."

Shaking his head and smiling ruefully, Duke stepped into the room.

"Joking aside, be careful of Evi. She's much more manipulative then I could ever hope to be and loves to work an angle."

"Sounds like you're speaking from personal experience. Did she break your heart, Crocker?" Julia asked, motioning towards the chair in an invitation for him to sit.

Duke groaned in annoyance but accepted her nod and sat down, his broad shoulders slouching.

Watching him, Julia stared at the dark circles under his eyes, including the one that wasn't already puffy and red. Duke knew he must look exhausted and beat up but it was nothing compared to how she looked when he had first carried her into the hospital, despite her protests. Even now, when he saw her next to Evi, small, pale and bruised, he fought his initial reaction to kick Evi out of the room or to physically stand between her and Julia. He quickly squashed those protective instincts, knowing that Julia would have hated that and Evi didn't need any more ammunition to try and manipulate him with.

"Yeah, she broke my heart. But she's also a much better conman and thief then me which should tell you that no matter how good of a friend you think she is, she would sell you down the river in a heart beat if it worked to her advantage," Duke said, looking into Julia's tired eyes, his expression serious.

Studying him, Julia finally nodded, "Got it. We can be friends but ultimately she is not to be trusted."

"What about you, Duke, should you be trusted?" Julia asked, cocking her head to the side, her tone light and joking but her eyes critically watching him.

Scooting his chair closer, Duke leaned over and took Julia's hand that was nervously playing with the corner of her blanket. He smiled when the back of his hand brushed against a small, thin object under the blanket. Some sort of knife, a scalpel would be his guess. He brought her hand up to his face and gently kissed the back of it, then lightly kissed her curled fingers.

"Probably not but you will," he said decisively.

Her face scrunched up in annoyance, a look she'd had ever since she was a little girl that reminded him of an angry kitten, and she opened her mouth to argue.

"We didn't find anything at the church," he said, interrupting whatever tirade she was about to unleash.

"I'm not surprised," she said, accepting the change in topic which was unexpected and interesting. "And call me crazy, but the hooded man's voice sounded just like-"

"Reverend Driscoll," Duke finished for her. "I know, we checked but he hadn't left his prayer meeting all night."

"Could he be troubled?" Julia asked. "Somehow able to physically be in two places at once?"

"Don't know but Nathan, Audrey and I will keep an eye on him," Duke said, tracing her bruised wrist with his thumb as he continued to hold her hand.

"Should you be kissing and holding my hand? After all, you are a married man and we've barely become friends again."

Letting go of her hand, Duke stood then leaned over Julia, putting his hands down on both sides of her bed and trapping her beneath him. Julia's eyes widened and she watched as Duke's face hovered above her own.

"That married part will not be a problem for long and I plan on kissing more than your hand," he said, his warm breath tickling her cheek.

This time Duke placed his lips against hers to stop the protest she was about to make. As his mouth expertly kissed her, tongue sneaking in causing her body to become a boneless pile of mush underneath his, Julia felt her shoulder tingle as the tribal tattoo appeared and quickly disappeared from sight.

She should really get around to telling Duke about that.


End file.
